Government auditors Storm embassies

The National Audit Office (NAO) has deployed about 30 auditors  to 10 of Malawi’s 19  foreign missions following allegations of fraud and maladministration of finances in embassies.

Both Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and NAO have confirmed dispatching teams of auditors to foreign missions to carry out ‘normal’ audits.

The exercise comes against a background of foreign missions having gone several years without audits.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation spokesperson Rejoyce Shumba, in an interview this week, said the audit exercise was facilitated by NAO and that her ministry was informed.

But she said she did not know why NAO has targeted only 10 foreign missions as the country has 19 foreign offices and three consulates.

Said Shumba: “We are aware of the audits, but we don’t know which missions they will target and why they will target those missions.”

On the other hand, NAO spokesperson Rabson Kagwamminga said the teams are expected back in the country by December 12 2016.

However, he said the timeframe may change depending on the circumstances in the field.

Said Kagwamminga: “National Audit Office will indeed be carrying out audits in 10 different foreign missions of the Republic of Malawi. Ten different teams comprising a maximum of three and a minimum of two auditors have been formulated.”

Further, he said the audits are normal and in line with the provisions of the Public Audit Act and International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions (ISSAIs).

“Suffice to mention that the audits will be closely supervised and monitored by our senior officers. And depending on the outcome of each stage of the work on the ground, further investigative audit procedures may become inevitable; hence, the possibilities of going beyond the planned timeframe,” Kagwamminga added.

He said the assignment will demand more seriousness and extra attention because it has been a long time since his office last audited the missions.

The audits are already underway at embassies in China, Egypt, United Arab Emirates of Dubai and Tanzania.

NAO has also dismissed assertions that it has outsourced the embassy audits to a private firm, saying it is NAO undertaking the audit.

The corruption in foreign mission came to light early this year when it was discovered that close to K184 million was abused at the Malawi Embassy in Ethiopia.

The development led to the suspension of deputy ambassador at the mission Doreen Kapanga and Fletcher Chowe, who was first secretary for administration and finance.

Currently, Malawi has embassies in Brazil, United Kingdom, China, Egypt, Ethiopia and African Union Commission, Germany, India, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, United Nations, United States of America, Zambia and Zimbabwe. n